συμβιβάζω
symbibázō
G4822 verb
SILEX Entry
Definition
To bring together, join, or unite; also to cause mutual association or cohesion, whether of people, ideas, or things. In extended or metaphorical senses, to conclude by reasoning, to instruct or teach by laying out a connected understanding, to prove by drawing together evidence or arguments. The sense may range from physically or socially uniting to intellectually connecting concepts for the purpose of explanation or argumentation.
Semantic Range
to bring together (physically or socially), to unite, to reconcile, to knit together, to prove by reasoning, to conclude or infer, to teach or instruct by connecting ideas
Root / Etymology
From σύν (together, with) and a causative form of the base of βιβάζω (to cause to go, drive), ultimately from βαίνω (to go, walk, step); thus, it literally means 'to cause to go together' or 'bring together'.
Historical & Contextual Notes
In classical Greek, συμβιβάζω can mean 'to bring together, unite, reconcile,' both physically (as in causing troops or ships to come together) and socially (as in reconciling people). By the Hellenistic and Koine periods, it expanded to intellectual contexts: 'drawing conclusions,' 'reasoning out,' or 'proving' (by bringing ideas together), and 'teaching' in the sense of causing others to see how things fit together conceptually. In Acts 9:22, it describes Saul 'proving' by argument that Jesus is the Anointed, emphasizing structured reasoning from evidence. In Colossians (2:2, 2:19), it is used metaphorically for the unity or cohesion among people or parts of a 'body,' suggesting both communal and abstract cohesion rather than mere proximity. Standard English translations sometimes narrow the sense, rendering it as 'prove,' 'knit together,' 'instruct,' or 'show,' but each conveys only a portion of the semantic range. The word is rare outside biblical and philosophical texts, where it signals both logical synthesis and personal/social unity. In the Septuagint, it appears with similar senses, particularly in Wisdom literature with logical or didactic overtones.
Translation Consistency
Reconcile naturally covers the primary sense of bringing into agreement or unity (people, things, or accounts) and also fits the intellectual/argumentative uses (to reconcile evidence or views, to bring ideas into a coherent whole). It is a single, natural English verb that captures both the social/physical and the typical rhetorical/logical senses in the SILEX range better than alternatives like "unite" or "join."
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from σύν and (to force; causative (by reduplication) of the base of βάσις); to drive together, i.e. unite (in association or affection), (mentally) to infer, show, teach:--compact, assuredly gather, intrust, knit together, prove.
Root Family
συμβιβάζω (symbibazō) — to bring together, to unite, to prove, to teach
Word Forms
7 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G4822-05 |
συμβιβάζοντες | sumbibazontes | V PRS ACT PTCP NOM M PL |
concluding | bringing together | concluding | 1 |
G4822-06 |
συνβιβαζόμενον | sunbibazomenon | V PRS PASS PTCP NOM N SG |
held together | being brought together | being brought together | 1 |
G4822-04 |
συμβιβάζων | sumbibazon | V PRS ACT PTCP NOM M SG |
proving | bringing together | proving | 1 |
G4822-01 |
συμβιβάσει | sumbibasei | V FUT ACT IND 3P SG |
he will instruct | he will unite | will instruct | 1 |
G4822-03 |
συμβιβαζόμενον | sumbibazomenon | V PRS PASS PTCP NOM N SG |
knit together | being brought together | being brought together | 1 |
G4822-02 |
συμβιβασθέντες | sumbibasthentes | V AOR PASS PTCP NOM M PL |
having been knit together | having been brought together | having been knit together | 1 |
G4822-07 |
συνεβίβασαν | sunebibasan | V AOR ACT IND 3P PL |
concluded | they brought together | they brought together | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
7 occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G4822-04 |
Acts 9:22 | συμβιβάζων | sumbibazon | V PRS ACT PTCP NOM M SG |
proving | bringing together | proving |
G4822-05 |
Acts 16:10 | συμβιβάζοντες | sumbibazontes | V PRS ACT PTCP NOM M PL |
concluding | bringing together | concluding |
G4822-07 |
Acts 19:33 | συνεβίβασαν | sunebibasan | V AOR ACT IND 3P PL |
concluded | they brought together | they brought together |
G4822-01 |
1 Corinthians 2:16 | συμβιβάσει | sumbibasei | V FUT ACT IND 3P SG |
he will instruct | he will unite | will instruct |
G4822-06 |
Ephesians 4:16 | συνβιβαζόμενον | sunbibazomenon | V PRS PASS PTCP NOM N SG |
held together | being brought together | being brought together |
G4822-02 |
Colossians 2:2 | συμβιβασθέντες | sumbibasthentes | V AOR PASS PTCP NOM M PL |
having been knit together | having been brought together | having been knit together |
G4822-03 |
Colossians 2:19 | συμβιβαζόμενον | sumbibazomenon | V PRS PASS PTCP NOM N SG |
knit together | being brought together | being brought together |